Reptiles, why do you hate them?

I lot of women i know (of course none of my friends) HATE reptiles and will scream and vacate the building when i bring out even my tiniest lizard or snake. It baffles me.

So i want to know why people hate them?
I hate cats, but that's because they are a pest in my country and kill thousands upon thousands of native wildlife every year. But last time i checked I hadn't heard of a reptile dloing the same.

This is a topic close to my heart. Ever since I can remember, I have had "herpetophobia"(fear of reptiles). In specific, I am terrified of snakes. I actually can't answer your question re. why so many people(not just women) dislike, despise, fear, and even kill snakes with relish. But it certainly seems like a cultural memory, something that comes from the depths of one's memory, emotions and shared cultural concepts, `a la Jung. When I was a tiny tot, I had a dream in which my mother served asparagus mixed with snakes(green ones, of course). For years, I could not eat asparagus. Irrational? Obviously. Explainable? Not by me. Perhaps someone else who is phobic can take a stab at this. (no pun intended.) I am so frightened of snakes that if I am near one, I shake for a good half hour. On the other hand, I have rescued baby garter snakes from the road(using a stick). You are rational about disliking cats; I am not about snakes. Amphibians are OK with me. I like salamanders. Cats are a terrible pain, but they are warm and fuzzy. I have eight! Also irrational? Absolutely. Why are some people deathly afraid of cats???

"Keep a fire for the human race, and let your prayers go drifting into space, you never know what will be coming down..." For a Dancer, J.Browne

everyone has something that just absotively posolutely gives them the heebie jeebies. A former coworker almost quit their job because of roaches, another reacted the same way with mice. i don't mind lizards, but snakes happen to be my red kryptonite. as i age (not necessarily mature), it has started to relax a bit. i used to be like "snake! kill it!" and i would. species did not matter to me. but now, maybe it is becaue i have actually started to relax instead of living constantly at code red, i leave them alone unless they pose an immediate threat to myself or children. it has taken a lot of work to get to this point, so don't think i am saying it is easy.